Patents by Inventor Tsunenori Yamamoto

Tsunenori Yamamoto has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080212010
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which can easily prevent the generation of longitudinal smear. The display device includes a display panel having a plurality of scanning signal lines, a plurality of video signal lines, a plurality of thin film transistors and a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix array. In a state that a gap between two neighboring video signal lines with one pixel electrode out of the plurality of pixel electrodes sandwiched therebetween in a region where one pixel electrode is arranged is larger than a gap between two neighboring video signal lines with another pixel electrode different from one pixel electrode sandwiched therebetween in a region where another electrode is arranged, a size of one pixel electrode is set larger than a size of another pixel electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Inventors: Ken Ohara, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi, Hiroshi Saito, Jun Ooida
  • Publication number: 20080084376
    Abstract: In a color display device, when using white (W) sub-pixels in addition to subpixels of red (R) and green (G) plus blue (B) without increasing a wiring line number, the per-color pixel number in a unit area decreases so that the image resolution is deteriorated. The area and number of subpixels are adjusted in accordance with the visual sensitivity or luminosity required. Practically, the area of red (R) and blue (B) subpixels which are relatively low in luminosity is set to be about two times greater than the area of green (G) and white (W) subpixels that are relatively high in luminosity while letting the number of green (G) and white (W) subpixels be twice the number of red (R) and blue (B) subpixels. A larger subpixel is configured from a plurality of unit subpixels. A smaller subpixel is formed of a one unit subpixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventors: Shoichi Hirota, Shinichi Komura, Yoshifumi Sekiguchi, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Masaya Adachi
  • Patent number: 7350937
    Abstract: There is provided a lighting unit whose area is implemented into a large area by assembling a plurality of lighting modules in a flat-surface-like manner. Moreover, a plurality of electrical connectors are positioned in each lighting module in such a manner that the electrical connectors face each side of each lighting module. Here, the plurality of electrical connectors are mutually connected to the plurality of lighting modules adjacent thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsunenori Yamamoto, Ikuo Hiyama, Akitoyo Konno, Daisuke Kajita
  • Publication number: 20080062371
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20080048934
    Abstract: In a display device of built-in driver circuit type including a non-rectangular image display area, the frame area surrounding the display area is reduced and the wiring delay is reduced. The image display device includes a plurality of pixels arranged in an orthogonal matrix form, a plurality of scanning wiring lines connected to the plural pixels, a plurality of signal wiring lines connected to the plural pixels, the signal wiring lines being disposed to construct an orthogonal matrix form with the plural scanning wiring lines; signal wiring internal circuits for driving the plural signal wiring lines, and an image display area including a plurality of pixels, the image display area having a non-rectangular outer contour. The signal wiring internal circuits are separated from each other in an extending direction of the signal wiring lines in a unit of length of the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Inventors: TSUNENORI YAMAMOTO, Ken Ohara, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi, Susumu Edo, Hiroshi Saito
  • Publication number: 20080018827
    Abstract: A lighting device for emitting light in a planar manner comprises a backlight section having non-uniformity in light emission in a plane and an optical film having an in-plane transmittance distribution compensating for the non-uniformity in light emission. The optical film has a plurality of slits allowing light to pass through and controls the in-plane transmittance distribution by varying the shapes of slit openings. Widths of the slits are fixed, closed portions are provided in a longitudinal direction, and the in-plane transmittance distribution is controlled by the ratio of the closed portions to the slits. A part of the optical film other than the slits is a light shielding layer, and a surface on the light source side of the light shielding layer scatters and reflects light. Each value in the in-plane transmittance distribution of the optical film is smaller than the reciprocal of a corresponding value in a light intensity distribution of the backlight section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Inventors: Tsunenori Yamamoto, Katsumi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20080013028
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a plurality of gate signal lines made of metal and a plurality of drain signal lines made of metal, wherein the gate signal line and the drain signal line have a first overlapping region, and a plurality of counter voltage signal lines, wherein the counter voltage signal line and the drain signal line have a second overlapping region. A plurality of pixel regions are defined by neighboring gate signal lines and drain signal lines, and a pixel electrode is formed on the first substrate in each pixel region. A thin film transistor having a semiconductor layer is formed on the gate signal line, and the semiconductor layer at least overlaps with the drain signal line at the first overlapping region and the second overlapping region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Patent number: 7292299
    Abstract: In an in-plane switching (ISP) mode controlling transmission and shielding of light by application of lateral electric field to liquid crystal molecules aligned in the direction in parallel to a substrate, increase in luminance or color shift at a black-representation area or upon black-representation condition at an inclined viewing angle is reduced. First and second polarizing plates sandwiching a liquid crystal layer each have a supporting member (plate) on at least either surface thereof. The supporting member on the inside surface of the first polarizing plate on the side of an illumination unit has a retardation in the thickness direction R1·h1 and the supporting member on the inside surface of the second polarizing plate has a retardation in the thickness direction R2·h2. In the O-mode, R1·h1>R2·h2 and in the E-mode, R1·h1<R2·h2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays
    Inventors: Ikuo Hiyama, Shinichi Komura, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Yuka Utsumi, Mutsumi Maehara, Daisuke Kajita
  • Publication number: 20070229453
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal display unit for displaying image signals, a lighting device including a light-adjustment unit for adjusting a quantity of light from a light source, which is transmitted to each of plural regions into which the lighting device is divided for illuminating corresponding plural illumination regions of an entirety of a display area of the liquid crystal display unit, and a control unit. The control unit controls each light-adjustment unit in synchronization with horizontal synchronization signals and vertical synchronization signals, so that the adjusted light quantity of individual ones of the plural regions of the divided lighting device is shifted among the plural regions and an individual illumination region of the plural illumination regions of the entirety of the display area of the liquid crystal display unit is correspondingly shifted therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Sukekazu Aratani, Ikuo Hiyama, Masaya Adachi, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Katsumi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20070222723
    Abstract: An image display apparatus configured by a display panel having an image memory element in a pixel, which achieves low power consumption. A nonvolatile image memory element 1, which can change the resistance value by phase change, is connected to a pixel electrode 25 of a liquid crystal element 5. The output of a thin-film transistor 17 driven by scanning and signal electrode lines 7, 9 is connected to the pixel electrode 25. When the scanning electrode line 7 is selected to have a high level voltage, the thin-film transistor 17 is turned on and a current signal flowing through the signal electrode 9 is sent through the image memory element 1 to a reference electrode line 15. Depending on the current value or pulse width passing through the image memory element 1, the resistance of the image memory element 1 is changed and is stored as a resistance value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Inventors: Tatsuya Sugita, Shinichi Komura, Shoichi Hirota, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Tetsuya Ooshima, Susumu Edo, Akitoyo Konno
  • Patent number: 7271869
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a plurality of gate signal lines and a plurality of drain signal lines, a plurality of pixel regions defined by neighboring gate signal lines and drain signal lines, and a pixel electrode in each pixel region. The drain signal line has a metal layer and another layer formed by a transparent conductor, and the another layer is electrically connected to the metal layer. The pixel electrode is made of a transparent conductor, and a transparent conductor of the pixel electrode and the transparent conductor of the drain signal line are of the same material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20070210722
    Abstract: An LED lighting device can compensate a brightness change and a color change caused by a temperature change and exhibit an in-plane uniform luminance and color. A lighting device includes: at least one line connected in parallel, a constant voltage source for applying a constant voltage to the line, an ON/OFF controller, and a current detector for measuring a value of current flowing in the line. The line is formed by one or more light-emitting diodes and a switch for turning ON/OFF the current flowing in the light emitting diodes connected in series. According to the current value of each of the lines measured by the current detector, the ON/OFF controller controls the ON/OFF period of the switch of each of the lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Inventors: Akitoyo Konno, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Tatsuki Inuzuka
  • Patent number: 7256854
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a plurality of gate signal lines and a plurality of drain signal lines, a plurality of counter voltage signal lines, a plurality of pixel regions defined by neighboring gate signal lines and drain signal lines, a counter electrode and a pixel electrode enabling formation of an electric field, and an orientation film being formed on the first substrate. The pixel electrode has a plurality of slits overlaps the counter electrode with an insulating layer therebetween. A pair of edges of the counter electrode and pixel electrode extend in parallel to the gate signal line and another pair of edges of the counter electrode and the pixel electrode extend in parallel to the drain line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Patent number: 7253863
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a plurality of gate signal lines made of metal and a plurality of drain signal lines made of metal, a plurality of counter voltage signal lines, a plurality of pixel regions defined by neighboring gate signal lines and drain signal lines and a pixel electrode formed on first substrate in each pixel region. The pixel electrode and the counter voltage signal lines have an overlapping region, and an edge of the pixel electrode which extends in parallel to the drain signal line shifts to inside of the pixel region at the overlapping region as compared to the edge of the pixel electrode at a non-overlapping region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Patent number: 7251006
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having a first transparent insulating substrate, a second transparent insulating substrate, a liquid crystal layer having liquid crystal molecules interposed between the first and second substrates, a plurality of gate bus lines and a plurality of data bus lines formed on the first substrate, wherein an area formed by two gate bus lines intersecting two data bus lines substantially defines a unit pixel. A pixel electrode made from a transparent conductor material is arranged in each unit pixel and has a plurality of upper slits parallelly arranged at a first tilt angle and a plurality of lower slits parallelly arranged at a second tilt angle and the upper slits and the lower slits are arranged in the unit pixel as an mirror image of each other and upper slits not connected to any of the lower slits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Patent number: 7251005
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a plurality of gate signal lines and a plurality of drain signal lines, a plurality of counter voltage signal lines, a plurality of pixel regions defined by neighboring gate signal lines and drain signal lines. and a counter electrode and a pixel electrode formed on the first substrate in each pixel region so as to enable an electric field to be formed therebetween. The counter electrode is of planar shape and made of a transparent conductor. The counter voltage signal line is made of metal and has a branch in each pixel region with the counter electrode being directly connected to the branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Patent number: 7248324
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a plurality of gate signal lines and a plurality of drain signal lines, a plurality of counter voltage signal lines, a plurality of pixel regions defined by neighboring gate signal lines and drain signal lines and a counter electrode and a pixel electrode being formed on the first substrate in each pixel region and enabling forming of an electric field therebetween. The counter electrode is of planar shape and, the pixel electrode is of planar shape with plurality of slits and is overlapped with the counter electrode with an insulating layer provided therebetween. Both the counter electrode and pixel electrode are made of a transparent conductor. The counter voltage signal line is made of metal and extends in center region in each pixel region and is directly connected to the counter electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Patent number: 7233304
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus comprises a liquid crystal display unit including a pair of substrates, at least one of which is transparent, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched by the pair of substrates, a plurality of electrodes for applying an electric field to at least one of the pair of substrates, and a plurality of active elements connected to the plurality of electrodes; a lighting device including a plurality of light sources; and a control unit for controlling ON/OFF of at least one light source for each of regions, into which the lighting device is divided, based on a display response of said liquid crystal display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Sukekazu Aratani, Ikuo Hiyama, Masaya Adachi, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Katsumi Kondo
  • Patent number: 7230603
    Abstract: An illumination device and display device using it display motion pictures without a blur and make a light utilizing efficiency of a backlight improved. An illumination device having a light pipe of a substantially parallel flat-form sheet, whose one surface is an outgoing light surface and a light source unit is placed at one side and both side edges, is equipped with a light axis of lights after having entered the light pipe from the light source unit being unparallel to the outgoing light surface of the light pipe, and a reflection body unit consisting of plural unit reflection bodies divided into m in a vertical direction of the light source unit at an opposite side surface of the outgoing light surface of the light pipe, wherein the reflection body unit can contact and separate from the opposite side surface the outgoing light surface of the light pipe for every unit reflection bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsunenori Yamamoto, Ikuo Hiyama, Akitoyo Konno, Osamu Ito
  • Publication number: 20070109779
    Abstract: An illuminating device capable of being produced at low costs and irradiating rays of light uniformly to a liquid crystal panel. The illuminating device has a plurality of LED packages each having LED's and a lens, the LED packages being congregated on a plane in a large area. Each of the LED packages includes at least four LED's corresponding to LED's for emitting at least red, green and blue, and at least two of the LED's in each LED package are positioned symmetrically to the center of the lens and emit the same color.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Sekiguchi, Ikuo Hiyama, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Hiroki Kaneko, Toshiaki Tanaka